The Penn's Grove record., 1887-11-05

him, n with o double portion, and,
now that his voice has broken and set.
tied itself into a kind of hoarse bray,
bcyish Is the last word to apply to him.
/ took him down the other day to
Marlborough school to enter him there.
My railway journey was neither more
nor less of q misery to me than usual.
An economically minded ticket inspec-
tor remarked considerably to my son,
sd have passed him with a half ticket,
sirl You need't have got a whole 'un."
I went to the refreshment room and
asked for q four of whisky. The young
lady behind the bar leant over and
cried, "Oh, you horrid little boyl 1
shan't give you nothing but a glass of
milk and bun, not IL you was ever 50.
To think Of the likes of you wanting
fours of Scotch. indeedI" and q burly
countryman standing by smote me on
the back till 1 choE d. and guffawed,
shawl Hawl Thee'rt a good 'un. l
loikes thy cheek, little chop" and in
trying to force on me a drink of his
beer contrived to pour some half pint
into my nee and waistcoat and then
cursed me for his own clumsiness. The
bookstall man treated me with polite
Indifference and paid no more attention
to me than to q spaniel. Finally,
when a grim old lady got into our
smoking carriage she fixed me with q
a stony eye and said, ''Ohl you nasty
little boyl smoking at YOU agei Where
do you expect to 60 TOT" and proceeded
to take my pipe away from me; while
the other passengers said, swell, he Is
too young to be smoking, for sure"
and that lout Of a son Of mine went
black in the face with laughter and de-
clined to come to the rescue.
Marlborough was reached at last,
and we walked up to the headmaster,,s
house. With some difficulty and two
half crowns l induced the ~iAcredulous
rid Of his first notion that it was, as he
SAID, "a 'oax." l found l had cast out
the first devil only to have a more
wicked one take his place; for now he
winked loosely and babe us ''come
this way, young genle'men," and &C.
ually poked me in the ribs before going
round the screen and usherlng us into
the Doctors presence. Twas wild with
wrath at the indignity. doctor" said
l. aercely and shrilly, ~ must protest,
l insist, sir.n He glared at me hasgh-
lily, and then, turning to my lout said,
sis this some farcep If, sir, as I sup
pose, you are bringing your little
brother to enter him at the school, let
me say that we have the MEANS" and
he swished his hand through the air,
''of correcting that unbrldled and in
subordinate demeanor which the loss,
no doubt, Of a father. and the absence
OF parental control, has induced in hun.
| see." said he, a the gaby turned
crimson, and sEuffied from one foot to
the other, your brothers pertness not
unnaturally discomposes you; believe
me. l attach no blame to you, and /
think" he added significantly, 1--WE
can secsTremeayit."
My cup brimmed over. What exactly
1 said 1 will not repeat. Let me not
forget that I am a clergyman, and that
it is my duty alike to forgive my ene-
mics and to eschew bad language; but
for the nonce my language was very
bad indeed, and very wrathful; and the
matter was made all the worse by the
fact that the doctor was but a young
In "Sir." ] cried, II took an honor
able degree at Oxford when you were
still being birehed at school, and was a
priest in holy orders before you were in
coat tails. How dare you gibe at my
personal appearance, sirs How dare
you make a mock of my infirmityp You
~S5ear-so mhunaaa, and so indscently
fond Of the most degrading part of your
duties, that I would gladly leave this
grinning oaf with you, and then he
would get the thrashlng he deserves for
exulting in his fathers discontinue.
But then / should have to speak with
you, sir; to speak with you'll and l will
not lower myself by having anything to
do with you; evil communications cor
rupt good manners, sir, and 1 will not
stoOp to imperil my own good breeding
by communicating with a pedagogue,
who, instead of a scholar and a gentle
boor;'' and with this TRADE l flung out
Of the room in a rage, and my son skunk
out at my heels.
1 was speeches. with fury till we
got some distance from the house.
Then, looking up. l saw that my
wretched boy was staggering still, and
in my mortiucatIon l struck him with
my cane There we're several of the
lads about, and he, poor fellow. was
high and mighty in his new tail coat,
and he felt the indignity. He lost his
temper, as l had lost mine, and, turn
ing on me, he boxed my ears. This
wa too much. To what depth of con-
tempt must I have fallenI l dropped
on a bench and burst into tears-the
bitterest tears, l think, that over man
shed.
gave him money and sent him home
alone, and then l wandered away in
indescribable wretchedness. l was
blind to all that passed; l neither saw
nor cared where l went. l could not
even pursue one train of thought, how
ever miserable. Not that any oblivion
came mercifully to relieve me from my |
sufferings. l passed through moment |
after moment of exquisite PAIN, but
each seemed isolated, and to be endured
by itself separately, aud without any
continuity with either the moments
that went before or those which fol-
loved after. How the time. went l DO |
not know, but after what l thought
was a great while / found myself Sit
ting by a dull, dark stream, staring
gloomiiy into it. 1 do not know what
was passing through my mind; perhaps
no settled thought had formed itself;
but l was In a very abyss OF despair.
Suddenly l felt a little hand thrust
into mine, and a child kissed me, I
looked up and saw a village girl Of Z or
3 years old, very plain but for a pair of
wIstful eyes, who gaZed pitifully at me
and said, POO b0yl" From her lips
l did not vince at the reproach of
youth. Slowly l came out OF the dark
mood in which l was ready for l know
not what rash act; and In talking to
the little girl, and feeling her hand
c~onidingly in mine. l gradually found
composure and resignation. She was
very shy, and eve stupid, and, when
l got her to speak, her voice was coarse,
and Il talked in a villainously pro-
vincial accent; hut still, by her mute
kindliness and fellow feeling, she had
saved me from what l dared not con-
5canplate, and l owed her a debt OF
gratitude which l could not pay.
Alasl these mllder moments were
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